Residents of Kangeta Village in Mbeti South Ward, Embu County, protested against the alleged diversion of a tarmac road project originally meant to pass through their area.
The irate residents claimed that the road already under construction was earmarked by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) to pass through their area, linking Embu to Kirinyaga County.
They alleged that the contractor had diverted the project from its original route and was extending it towards Gachuriri Town all the way to Thiba River Bridge, bypassing their village.
The residents emphasised that the road was a vital transport corridor for their local economy that relies on agriculture as the main source of income for them.
Area resident Lucia Wanza noted that the area was a major producer of farm commodities, including Muguka (khat), cereals and horticultural products and tarmacking the road was crucial for moving these products to markets in Embu Town, Kirinyaga and Nairobi.
She said the diversion was going to sideline the area from the multi-billion-shilling investment by the government meant to spur development.
Beyond trade, Wanza said the road is usually rendered impassable during rainy seasons, hindering students from reaching schools and locals from accessing essential services such as healthcare.
Community Leader, Peter Ngirimbiti said they had been aggrieved by the development and called on the government to intervene to prevent the contractor from moving forward with the alleged diversion.
He said though some landowners had declined to provide land for the road that had been cited as the reason behind the diversion, the majority of them were for the project over the immense benefits they will draw from it.
The leader said they were ready to part with portions of their land to pave the way for the construction and wait for the compensation that had been the main cause of resistance from the few pockets of locals.
“First things first, let us have the road in place and the issue of compensation can come in later,” he said, while calling on the concerned authorities to physically visit the area to gather views of locals.
The road is part of the larger infrastructure push in the region by the national government meant to spur trade through an efficient road network.
By Samuel Waititu
